NFL mock draft: Ravens find protection for Lamar Jackson in trade-filled first round

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Every savvy NFL general manager conducts his own first-round mocks in preparation for the start of the draft Thursday night.

Might as well join in the fun.

With an unpredictable Day 1 set to kick off in Pittsburgh, here’s a trade-filled projection for what the Ravens and the rest of the NFL will do with the draft’s first 32 picks.

1. Las Vegas Raiders: Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana

There should be congressional inquiries if the Raiders take anywhere close to their eight allotted minutes here. Mendoza is the best quarterback in the draft and a poster boy for minority owner Tom Brady.

2. New York Jets: David Bailey, edge, Texas Tech

The draft starts here. Arvell Reese is the better run stopper and more explosive athlete, but Bailey has a clearer path to Year 1 production. That’s an important consideration for a coach with a seat as hot as Aaron Glenn’s.

3. Arizona Cardinals: Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame

Should any team in the top five be taking a running back given their other, more glaring needs? Probably not. But Love’s superstar potential stands out in a draft class lacking blue-chip talents.

4. Tennessee Titans: Arvell Reese, edge, Ohio State

Robert Saleh can start to build a game-tilting defensive front in Tennessee. Reese would be an X-factor next to Jeffery Simmons, John Franklin-Myers and Jermaine Johnson.

5. New York Giants: Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State

John Harbaugh coached Ed Reed, Eric Weddle and Kyle Hamilton in Baltimore. He’s seen what a hyperintelligent safety can do to unlock a defense’s potential. Sonny Styles would be hard to pass up here, but the Giants can address their run defense on Day 2.

6. Cleveland Browns: Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State

How fitting would it be for the Browns to land a building-block piece in Tate, a big Lego fan who starred just down the road in Columbus? A trade down would be ideal here, but Tate is the best receiver prospect in the class and could immediately be the Browns’ top target for whoever’s QB1.

7. Washington Commanders: Sonny Styles, ILB, Ohio State

With the draft’s top running back and wide receiver off the board, Dan Quinn can make an easy case for patching up the defense. Washington finished 28th in adjusted efficiency last season, according to FTN, and needs a replacement for Bobby Wagner in the middle of the defense. Styles looks like the modern prototype at the position.

8. New York Giants (via New Orleans Saints): Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State

The Giants need wide receiver insurance as Malik Nabers continues his knee rehabilitation. Jaxson Dart’s other options downfield aren’t great. The Ravens rarely traded up when Harbaugh was in Baltimore, but with more power in New York, he could swing a deal to land maybe the draft’s most dynamic wideout.

9. Dallas Cowboys (via Kansas City Chiefs): Rueben Bain Jr., Edge, Miami

The Cowboys reportedly are not overly interested in trading up from No. 12. But the price to move up and acquire Bain, one of the draft’s most well-rounded (and polarizing) players, could be tolerable. Bain can fortify Dallas’ woeful run defense and add pop to a pass rush that felt Micah Parsons’ absence last season.

10. New Orleans Saints (via Giants): Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU

The Saints could add a third- or fourth-round pick in a trade back from No. 8 and still land the draft’s top cornerback prospect. Delane, a Silver Spring native, was targeted 35 times in coverage this past season and gave up just 13 catches for 147 yards and no touchdowns, according to Pro Football Focus.

11. Miami Dolphins: Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami

The Dolphins have almost too many needs to list here, but keeping Mauigoa home would be a smart step forward in their rebuild. He was linked to the Cardinals throughout the predraft process, but his stock has tumbled amid reporting that he could need “cleanup” surgery for a herniated disc in his back. Mauigoa projects as a longtime starter at tackle or guard.

12. Kansas City Chiefs (via Cowboys): Spencer Fano, OL , Utah

Fano checks a lot of boxes for a team that will need to ease Patrick Mahomes (torn ACL and LCL) back into things. Fano could play left tackle if Josh Simmons’ availability remains an issue. He could play right tackle, where he starred the past two seasons. And Andy Reid is a longtime friend of Kyle Whittingham, who coached Fano at Utah.

13. Los Angeles Rams: Makai Lemon, WR, USC

The Rams need to start preparing for life after Davante Adams, who turns 34 in December and finished 2025 with his fewest receiving yards in a season (789) since 2015. Lemon is not an overwhelming athlete, but Sean McVay hasn’t needed them to fuel productive passing games. The Orange County native was highly productive against man and zone coverage last season.

14. Ravens: Vega Ioane, G, Penn State

The chalky pick but a sensible one. Lamar Jackson must be better protected under first-year offensive coordinator Declan Doyle; he was sacked on a career-high 10.7% of his drop-backs last season and struggled with injuries. Tyler Linderbaum won’t be easily replaced inside, but the Ravens need to find plus run blockers to make good on their investment in Derrick Henry. What’s the use of having a rolling boulder that never gets downhill? Ioane can clear a path in zone and gap run schemes, though he’s not overpowering in either, and he is an elite pass blocker.

15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Keldric Faulk, edge, Auburn

Faulk struggled to build on a promising 2024 season as a pass rusher, finishing with just two sacks and 30 pressures, according to PFF, but he’d be a good fit in Todd Bowles’ odd-front looks. A high-character prospect with great length, Faulk should make an immediate impact as a run defender.

16. New York Jets: Omar Cooper, WR, Indiana

Cooper has some of the best after-the-catch skills in the class, as he averaged 7.2 yards per reception and forced 27 missed tackles last season, according to PFF. The Jets’ wide receiver room is unproven after Garrett Wilson, and Cooper would bring a winning pedigree to a franchise that desperately needs it.

17. Detroit Lions: Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama

The imposing Proctor has been linked to Detroit throughout the predraft process. His stock soared after an impressive showing at his pro day, where he reportedly weighed in at a slimmed-down 358 pounds. If Proctor can survive at left tackle, where he struggled at times last season, the Lions could keep All-Pro Penei Sewell at right tackle.

18. Minnesota Vikings: Peter Woods, DT, Clemson

NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah has floated Woods as a dark-horse Ravens target, but he seems unlikely to crack the first round’s top half. Even after a disappointing 2025, there’s plenty to like about the athletic Woods, who entered last season as a consensus top-five prospect. The Vikings need more talent in the trenches after losing Jonathan Allen, Harrison Phillips and Javon Hargrave.

19. Philadelphia Eagles (via Carolina Panthers): Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia

General manager Howie Roseman needs a succession plan for right tackle Lane Johnson. How about one of the most athletic prospects in draft history? Freeling’s play at left tackle improved down the stretch last season, and he impressed at the scouting combine, where he ran a 4.93-second 40-yard dash at 6 feet 7 and 315 pounds. The Eagles have been aggressive about moving up in the first round to land the prospects they covet.

20. Dallas Cowboys: Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon

The Cowboys took a gamble last year on cornerback Shavon Revel, a first-round talent who fell to the third round because of an ACL tear. After Revel’s rough, injury-delayed 2025, would Jerry Jones risk a top pick on, say, Jermod McCoy? Thieneman is the safer option. He’s durable and athletic and has the versatility the Cowboys need for their reworked defense.

21. Pittsburgh Steelers: Max Iheanachor, OT, Arizona State

Broderick Jones has been a disappointment at left tackle, and now he’s reportedly dealing with a neck injury that could sideline him at training camp, or for even longer. Iheanachor is a developmental prospect who played almost exclusively at right tackle at Arizona State, but he has intriguing tools. Aaron Rodgers’ quick trigger would help protect Iheanachor in pass protection — that is, if Rodgers indeed returns — and the Steelers could groom him to be Jones’ replacement.

22. Los Angeles Chargers: DL Kayden McDonald, DL, Ohio State

Jim Harbaugh has a habit of finding impactful defensive tackles in the bargain bin, but McDonald could be worth the investment on Day 1. On a star-studded Buckeyes defense, he averaged nearly five tackles per game and finished with nine tackles for loss overall, including three sacks. McDonald’s an elite run stopper with enough juice to offer promise as a pass rusher.

23. Carolina Panthers (via Eagles): Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee

McCoy has had a roller-coaster past few weeks. He seemed to lock himself into top-12 consideration after running a reported 4.4-second 40 at his pro day, his first public workout since tearing an ACL and missing last season. But now teams are reportedly concerned that McCoy could need another unrelated knee operation. His 2024 tape, at age 19, was impressive enough that someone will take a chance on him in the first round.

24. San Francisco 49ers (via Cleveland Browns): Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon

George Kittle’s torn Achilles could create an opening for a perfect tight-end-coach pairing. The 6-3, 241-pound Sadiq is another one of the draft’s most athletic prospects ever; he ran a 4.39-second 40 at the combine and posted a 43.5-inch vertical jump, a 99th-percentile mark at the position. Sadiq wasn’t exceptionally productive at Oregon, catching 51 passes for 560 yards and eight touchdowns last season, but Kyle Shanahan would have ideas about how to weaponize his athleticism and blocking ability in space.

25. Kansas City Chiefs (via Chicago Bears): Ahkeem Mesidor, edge, Miami

Mesidor’s age — he turned 25 this month — should raise questions about how much more he can improve in the NFL. But his production at Miami was undeniable; he had 13 sacks and 67 pressures in 15 games last season, according to PFF. Mesidor can beat tackles or guards with his deep bag of moves and would bring a motor that the Chiefs’ pass rush needs.

26. Buffalo Bills: Malachi Lawrence, edge, Central Florida

The Bills signed outside linebacker Bradley Chubb to a three-year, $43.5 million deal this offseason, but they need to take a swing on a high-upside prospect. Greg Rousseau led Buffalo with seven sacks last season; only one other player, the unsigned Joey Bosa, had more than 3.5. Lawrence has good length and burst off the snap, though his on-field production at UCF was lacking (seven sacks, 28 tackles in 2025).

27. Cleveland Browns (via 49ers): Blake Miller, OT, Clemson

The Browns need to come out of the first round with extra Day 2 picks, two sure-thing starters or, ideally, both. Tate and Miller project as potential foundational players in Todd Monken’s offense. Miller started all 54 games at Clemson over the past four seasons, a level of reliability that Cleveland’s injury-marred line has needed in recent years. The Ohio native could also be a tone-setting right tackle in the run game.

28. Houston Texans: Chase Bisontis, G, Texas A&M

The Texans overhauled their offensive line last season, but the work isn’t done, not with a hole at left guard. The athletic, well-built Bisontis started his Aggies career at right tackle before moving to left guard in 2024. He graded out as an average pass blocker last season, according to PFF, but has room to grow and shows good strength as a run blocker.

29. Chicago Bears (via Chiefs): T.J. Parker, edge, Clemson

Emmanuel McNeil-Warren would be an intriguing option here for a Bears defense that needs to replace Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker, but it’s easier to find productive safeties on Day 2 than it is productive edge rushers. Parker, like many of his Clemson teammates, had an underwhelming 2025 (five sacks), but he’s a high-energy run defender who can win with power as a pass rusher.

30. Miami Dolphins: Chris Johnson, CB, San Diego State

Miami’s defensive back depth chart is grim. Johnson is a clean prospect with impressive production. He allowed just 18 catches for 185 yards when targeted in coverage last season, according to PFF, giving up no touchdowns and recording four interceptions. Although Johnson doesn’t have exceptional size or speed, he’s smart enough and athletic enough (4.4-second 40) to win in man and zone coverage.

31. Arizona Cardinals (via Patriots): Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama

The Cardinals’ reported interest in Simpson, widely considered the draft’s second-best quarterback prospect, has intensified in the past week. Arizona’s not expected to compete for a playoff appearance this season, which would give Simpson the time to develop in practice and learn Mike LaFleur’s system. By trading up from No. 34 overall and taking Simpson in the first round, the Cardinals could also have up to five years of rookie contract control.

32. Las Vegas Raiders (via Seahawks): WR Denzel Boston, WR, Washington

It seems unlikely that both Boston and Texas A&M’s KC Concepcion will make it to Day 2. In this case, the Raiders move up from No. 36 overall for the ball skills of Boston instead of the route-running chops of Concepcion. With the elite accuracy Mendoza showed on outside-the-numbers throws last season, he could have an easy chemistry with Boston, who had a 76.9% contested-catch rate in 2025, according to PFF. Seattle, meanwhile, can trade back to amass the picks it needs to bolster its Super Bowl defense.